Modern consumers are constantly seeking solutions for their needs that are more versatile that former offerings while also being more efficient. These characteristics can be provided by providing products that small in size, light weight, portable, and that provide a degree of versatility or customizability to the end user. Fixed, non-portable solutions, on the other, are increasingly becoming obsolete and undesirable.
This is particularly true in regards to consumer electronics, for example systems that deliver audio and/or video. In addition, there is a growing interest in the ability to incorporate or integrate non-traditional components, for example smart telephones or tablet computers, into such systems in order to provide a user with a more unified interface. Such systems are further expected to perform substantially the same independent of location and to deliver performance similar to that of traditional fixed systems, while at the same time supporting customization.
An example of this in the field of audio systems can be found in automobile stereos and/or infotainment systems. Such systems are generally provided as systems that are fixed to or integrated into the vehicle. The number of speakers and their orientation, frequency range, and wattage are fixed at the time the automobile is manufactured. In this way they are not versatile and significantly limit the experience of the consumer. The limited power and often questionable quality of such conventional automobile audio systems has led to a well established market or custom audio components for automobiles, however these are generally designed to merely replace specific components of the existing system, with extensive modification of the vehicle itself being required to substantially alter an audio systems performance characteristics. Even so, once such alterations are made the end result is another fixed configuration.
One solution is to utilize auxiliary audio systems components that can be worn by the user, for example earbuds or headphones. These are not suitable for all applications, however, as they block environmental noises and fail to accurately reproduce a full range of audio frequencies. In particular, current headphones and earbuds frequently fail to reproduce low audible frequencies well. In addition, such auxiliary components do not reproduce low frequency, inaudible or nearly inaudible sound that is responsible for the visceral “feel” of a live musical performance. It should also be appreciated that such devices, which are in intimate physically contact with the user, are perceived by many users as irritating over time.
Another solution is to provide one or more external speakers or speaker assemblies. These have been proposed for, for example, for use in automobiles and on automobile headrests. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,884 (to Lee) discloses an automobile headrest that incorporates a pair of speakers, positioned on either side of the headrest and angled slightly forward. All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,020 (to Brown) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,842 (to Watanabe) disclose automobile headrests that incorporate a pair of speakers joined to resonating chambers, in order to improve performance at certain audio frequencies. Such designs, however, do not permit adjustment of the position of the speakers and are not amenable to customization. U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,791 (to Wiseman) discloses a more sophisticated design where each headrest speaker is mounted on a hinge that permits angular adjustment within a limited range in a single plane. Similarly, Great Britain Patent Application No. 2,224,178A discloses a pair of speakers that are secured to an automobile headrest by an elastic band, in which each speaker is mounted in a hinged assembly that permits limited angular adjustment in a single plane. Such designs, however, at best offer only very limited speaker positioning and arrangement options to a user, and are not suitable for securing and arranging other commonly used devices (for example, a smart phone).
Thus, there is still a need for devices and methods that allow a user to easily customize the configuration and/or performance of audio and/or video systems, particularly portable systems.